The #MeToo Movement Is Coming To Season 4 Of Kimmy Schmidt

Meagan FredetteFeb 17, 2018 3:00 PM

Photo: Eric Liebowitz / Netflix.

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is an enjoyable show because it's like watching the world through a child's eyes, as they learn about life for the first time. In three seasons, we've seen Kimmy (Ellie Kemper) tackle her first apartment, her first roommate, her first job, and her first true love. The show hasn't shied away from tackling some of today's biggest issues, including undocumented immigrants, PTSD, and (hilariously) natural disasters. Next up will be the one topic that's been on everyone's mind lately: the #MeToo movement and the fallout from exposing predators in the workplace.

Show co-runner Robert Carlock chatted with the Hollywood Reporter about how the #MeToo movement will serve as a background for the show's fourth season. "Our characters are not fully aware exactly of what's going on in the world, for various reasons," he explained, which only adds to the show's charm. "But [the #MeToo movement and wave of sexual misconduct claims are] very present, especially in the first half of the season as we've talked about it. Kimmy [will be] confronting some things in a workplace."

When we left Kimmy at the end of season 3, she'd just been hired at a start-up. Carlock notes that it's her first time working in an office environment, and with that comes specific challenges. "It's the first time she's ever been in a workplace and that changes the rules," he said. "That movement, whether we talk about it expressly or not, is very present in how Kimmy looks at the world and you talk about someone who represents the relief of that happening and [the sense that] hopefully it's not too late for other people."

THR also notes that season 4 just began filming, so the subject matter will be especially contemporaneous. One thing is for sure: with Tina Fey at the helm, and with Kimmy's signature optimism and faith, she can handle whatever life throws at her.